An arson attack on a casino in northern Mexico has left at least 53 people dead and 12 injured.

Firefighters carry an unidentified person on stretcher out of the Casino Royale in Monterrey, Mexico, Thursday Aug. 25 2011.

State police officials quoted survivors as saying about two dozen gunmen burst into the Casino Royale in Monterrey. They doused it with fuel and started a fire that trapped gamblers inside.

Initial reports said 11 people had been killed, but the death toll climbed as emergency personnel and firefighters searched the building.

The Mexican government has vowed to catch those responsible and bring them to justice.

No immediate information links the attack to drug cartels, but Monterrey has seen bloody battles between two drug cartels in recent months.

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